Hoisting device.



'A. w. KNUTSON.

HO1STING DEVICE. APPLlCATlON FILED NOV. '15. 1916;

1 %,1 11 U. v Patented Sept. 4, 191 7.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

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HOISTING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILEQ NOV. 15 I916.

Patented Sept. 4, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET Z.

ALFRED W. KNUTSON, OF GALESB URG, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 ROWE MANUFACTUR- ING 60., 0F GALESBURG, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

HOISTING DEVICE.

1,239,1l1lO.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 15, 1916. Serial No. 131,411.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED W. KNUTSON, a citizen of the United States, aresident of Galesburg, in the county of Knox and State of lllinois have invented new and useful Improvements in Hoisting Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to hoisting devices, and relates particularly to that class of such devices used as litter carriers; although it is capable of and designed so that it may be used for other and various purposes.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a litter carrier which may be elevated and again lowered by means of hoisting chains, and in the provision of baskets, or equivalent receptacles, for the storage of the chains as the carrier is elevated; guides or feeders being employed between the hoisting wheels and said, baskets, or equivalent receptacles, to present the chains to said baskets, or equivalent receptacles as the carrier is elevated and to properly aline or take out all kinks, if any should occur in the chains, as the links pre sent themselves to the hoisting wheels when the carrier is lowered.

Further objects and'advantages of the invention! will appear in the description of the drawings hereto attached and forming a part of this description, in which:

Figure 1 is an elevation of my improved hoisting device, the same being shown suspended from a track on which it may be moved from place to place;

Fig. 2 is an end .view of the device as the same would appear looking at the left hand side of Fig. l; v

Fig. 3 is a detail in section, showing one of the hoisting wheels, a guide or feeder for the hoisting chain, and basket, or equivalent receptacle for receiving the same;

Fig. 4 is an elevation partly in section as the same would appear if taken on line H of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the guides or feeders for the hoisting chain;

Fig. 6 is a cross-section of the guide or feeder for the h'oi'stingchain as the same would appear if taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 3,.with the hoisting chain in the guide or feeder;

Fig. 7 is a cross section as the same would appear if taken on the line 7'? of Fig. 1;

Fig. 8 is a cross section as the same would appear if taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the inner end of one of the guides or'feeders for the hoisting chain.

Like characters of reference denote cor responding parts throughout the figures.

The carrier for transporting or removing the litter or other material is designated 1, being preferably 8; metal receptacle of the character shown in Figs. '1 and 2 of the drawings. To fill the carrier with material to be removed from one place to another, it is lowered on its supporting means,'filled, elevated to a suitable position and transported to the point of discharge. To transport the carrier, a track 2 is provided on which travel the trucks 3, including .the wheels 4: which travel upon the track 2. This track is preferably an I-beam,"supported by hangers 5 in any suitable manner, and the trucks 3 have preferably a ,swiveled connection with castings 6. These castings 6 at their lower ends are connected by the parallel bars 7 which are spaced from each other'only a sufiicient distance to provide for the supporting of baskets 8 therebetween; said baskets being removed inwardly from the castings 6, only a suflicient distance to provide space for the journaling of the hoisting wheels 9 and the disposition of guides. or. feeders 10, through which the hoisting chains 11 may pass from the hoisting wheels 9 to the baskets 8, when the carrier l is elevated and from the baskets 8 to and around the hoisting wheels 9 when the carrier 1 is lowered.

The castings 6 are formed with bearings 12 in which are j ournaled the opposite ends of a rotating shaft 13, one end of which extends beyond one of the castings 6 and has a bearing in the yoke 14 in which is carried a sprocket sheave wheel 15 which is connected to the projecting end of the shaft 13, whereby the latter may be operated. The sprocket sheave Wheel 15 is actuated by means of a chain 16 which is suspended suffi- 'ciently low to permit an operator to grasp and operate the chain 16, whereby the sprocket sheave wheel 15 may be actuated and in turn operate the shaft 13.

The hoisting wheels 9 are preferably of a well known type of sheave wheel including the sprocket teeth 17 and the pins 18. the latter projecting inwardly in staggered arrangement from the opposite flanges of said hoisting wheels in the manner shown, The flanges of these hoisting wheels 9 are connected by the central hub or body portion 19 which receives" the spindle 20 on which the hoisting wheels are journaled, said spindleshaving a bearing in the spaced bars 7 conat'ected to the end castings 6. Said flanges 9 from the shaft 13 the worm gears 22 are provided, carried on said shaft 13, the teeth of which mesh with the spaces betweenthe pins 18 of the hoisting. wheels 9,'-and by means of which not only may thehoisting wheels be rotatedas the shaft 13 is operated, but said worm gears serve as' a locking means when the shaft 13 is at rest. The baskets, or equivalent receptacles 8, in which the hoisting chains 11 are stored as the carrier 1 is elevated, are supported from the bar 7 by means of the flanges or ears 23 extending up from the side walls of the'baskets and which are bolted or riveted to the side faces of said spaced bars 7, as shown. I Y

The hoisting chains 11 at one end, are connected to bars or straps 24: which in turn,

are connected to the'ends of the carrier 1 so that said carrier may be tilted for the dumping operation, and said hoisting chains 11 must be, of sufficient length to permit the carrier 1 to be lowered to a filling position and then elevated so as to be transported from one place to another on the track 2, when the contents of the carrier 1 may be dumped. To take care of the slack portions of the hoisting chains 11, when the carrier 1 is elevated, I provide the baskets, or equivalent receptacles 8, into which the ends of said hoisting chains may be stored, so as to keep the ends of the chains from interfering with the movement of the apparatus and from becoming entangled, or in the way of the operator, and to insure the deposit of the hoisting chains 11 in said storage baskets 8; and to provide for-the refeeding of said hoisting chains into meshing relation with the sprocket teeth of said hoisting wheels 9, I provide the guides or feeders 10. These guides or feeders 10 are best seen in section ,in Figs. 3 and 6 and in end elevation in Fig. 4 and in perspective in Fig. 5.

These guides or feeders are secured at their discharging end into the baskets, to

and between the bars 7 and over one end of the baskets, as shown in Fig. 3. v The opposite ends of said guides or feeders 10 are constructed with the portion 24 overlying the sprocket teeth 17 of the hoisting wheels, and the hubs 19 so as to form an entrance way for'the hoisting chain 11 as the carrier is elevated, the chains leaving the sprocket teeth of said hoisting wheels and passing into and through the channel'25 formed onigitudinally of said. .guide' -or feeders, said chains reversing their movement of travel and passing over and around the sprocket teeth 17 of the hoisting wheels as the carrier-is lowered. Said guides or feeders 10 are further provided with the bearing extension 26, Whichhave the concave end portions 27 to receive and form a bearing surface against the hub 19 of said hoisting wheels.

The portions 24: of said guides or feeders which overlie the sprocket teeth 17 and the hub 19 of the hoisting wheels 9, best seen in Figs. 3 and 5, have the opposite beveled surfaces 28 which ride on the beveled surfaces 21 on the inside faces of the opposite flanges of said hoisting wheels 9, and between said beveled surfaces 28, and extend-- ing from the extreme end of the portion 24 into and communicating with and forming a part of the channel 25 is a semi-spherical or concave surface 29. In the body of the guides or feeders 10, and disposed oppositely to the semi-spherical or concave surfaces 29 is a similar semi-spherical and concave surface 30 which extends into and communicates with and forms a part of the channel 25 in the body of said guides or feeders 10 and disposed transversely to these semispherical and concave surfaces 29 and 30 are other semi-spherical and concave grooved portions 31 and 32 which extend into, communicate with and form a part 7 of the channelway 25 in said guides or feeders 10. In other words, each of said guides and feeders are provided with vertically and horizontally disposed grooves which communicate, as shown in Fig. 6, to produce a channel way through said guides or feeders for the passage of the links formin the hoisting ehains. As alternate links 0 the hoisting chains are disposed in operative position vertically and horizontally relatively to each other, the channel in the guides or feeders must be constructed to receive such links and to retain them in their relative operative positions and so certain of the links of said chains will enter and .travel through the grooves 29 and 30 and the alternate links of the chains will enter and travel through the oppositely disposed grooves 31 and 32, and thus said links are retained in operative position, not only as they leave the s rocket teeth 17 of the hoisting wheels 9, ut also when they reenter the guides and feeders 10 so as to insure proper meshing engagement of the teeth of the sprocket wheels 10 with certain of the links of said hoisting chains. 1

The guides or feeders 10 are preferably curved slightly downwardly and upwardly throughout their length, as best seen in Fig. 3. I find this construction more practical, than a strai ht guide, for the reason that the inner en s of the guides may be elevated eeann permitting the baskets 8 to be positioned higher on their supports and thereby permitting-the carrier 1 to be raised a much greater height, than would be the case if the baskets 8 were lower. The character of the construction of the inner ends of the guides or feeders, is also important, for the character of the entrance-ways into these feeders will depend, largely, on the successful entrance of the links of the chains into the grooves of said feeders. I, therefore,construct the inner ends of said feeders in the manner best seen in Figs. 3, a and 9, wherein, the inner ends of said feeders are shown, formed with. a flange 33, and wherein the grooves 29 and 30 terminate in the slots 34 and 35, respectively, and with the upper wall of the groove 29 and with the lower wall of the groove 30 terminating in the beveled ends 36; and wherein the opposite horizontally disposed grooves 31 and 32 are flared outwardly, as at 37, terminating in the flange 33, and with the outside walls of said grooves 31 and 32 being slotted, as at 38, for a portion of their length, immediately adjacent the flange 33. The respective grooves, therefore, of the feeders terminate in enlarged or flared mouth portions into which the links of the chains 11 will first enter, as they leave the baskets S-When the carrier is lowered, and regardless of what position the links of said chains assume as they leave the basket and when they reach the mouth of the feeders, as they enter these. enlarged or flared terminals.

Y of the grooves in the feeders they will be caused to adjust themselves to the correct position for passage through the feeders. To illustrate,- if any of the horizontally disposed links of the chains become displaced or kinked as they enter the inner ends of the feeders they will enter the flared portions 37 of the grooves 31 and 32 and bearing against the wall of the flange 33 will be caused to turn to correct position for entrance into the grooves 31 and 32, and likewise, if the vertically disposed links-of the chain become displaced or kinked as they enter the inner end of the feeders they will enter into the slott d ends of the grooves 29 and 30 and bearing against the beveled walls 36 will be caused to turn to cbrrect position for entrance into the grooves 29 and 30 of said feeders.

In Fig. 3 I have shown the hoisting chains in the position which the links will assume when the carrier 1 is being elevated and the hoisting chains are being stored in the basket 8. In this view it will be seen that as the links of the chain are fed through the guides and feeders 10, there is a pushing action of the linksone upon the other to compel them to travel forward in the -rooves of the guides and feeders l0 and inproper storage in the storage ported between said bars and depending therefrom, a chain guide between the hub jof each hoisting wheel and said baskets, the inner ends of said guides overlying one end of said baskets and secured to said bars, their opposite ends having a part overlying the hubs of said wheels and having a bearing extension conforming to the hubs of the wheels, each guide having transversely disposed grooves to receive the links of chains, the inner ends of the grooves of said guides terminating in enlarged protected guide ways. a

2. In a device of the character described, in combination, supporting bars, hoisting wheels journaled between said bars, each Wheel formed with flanges spaced upon opposite sides of a central hub, and having beveled surfaces, baskets supported between said bars and depending therefrom, a chain guide between the hub of each hoisting wheel and said baskets, the inner ends of said guides overlying one end of said baskets and secured to said bars, their opposite ends having a part overlying the hubs of said wheels and formed with opposite beveled surfaces matching the beveled surfaces on the flanges of said wheels, and also having a bearing extension conforming to the hubs of the wheels, each guide having transversely disposed grooves to receive the links of chains, the inner ends f the grooves of said guides terminating in enlarged protected guide ways.

3. In a device of the character described, in combination, a pair of wheeled trucks, castings having a swiveled connection with said trucks and depending therefrom, spaced parallel bars. their opposite ends connected with the lower ends of said castings, an operating shaft disposed above said bars and having its opposite ends journaled in said castings, hoisting wheels journaled between said bars near their opposite ends, worm wheels on said shaft meshing with said hoisting wheels, baskets spaced inwardly from said hoisting wheels and secured be tween and depending from said bars, and chain guides between said hoisting wheels and said baskets, the inner end of each guide overlying one end of a basket and secured to said bars, their opposite ends overlying the hubs of said wheels.

4.. In a device of the character described, in combination, a pair of wheeled trucks, castings having a swiveled connection with said trucks and depending therefrom, spaced parallel bars, their opposite ends connected with the lower ends of said castings, an operating shaft disposed above said bars and having its opposite ends journaled in said castings, hoisting wheels journaled between said bars near their opposite ends, worm wheels on said shaft meshing with said hoisting wheels, baskets spaced inwardly from said hoisting wheels and secured between and depending from said bars, chain guides between said hoisting wheels and said baskets, each guide curved throughout its length and having its inner end overlying one end of a basket and secured to said bars, and its opposite end formed with a portion to overlie the hub of a wheel, said guides also provided with transversely disposed grooves extending throughout their length with the inner ends of said grooves terminating in enlarged protected guide ways. a

5. In a device of the character described, in combination, a hoisting wheel, a basket, a chain guide formed longitudinally with transversely arranged grooves and having one end overlying the hub of said wheel, its opposite end communicating with said basket, the end portion of said guide communicating with the basket formed with enlarged protected guide ways which enter into, communicate with, and form a part of said grooves.

6. In a device of the character described, in combination, an operating shaft, a hoisting wheel having spaced flanges with pins projecting toward each other in staggered arrangement, said flanges uniting in a hub and formed with sprocket teeth, a worm wheel on said shaft meshing with the pins on said wheel, a basket spaced from said wheel, a chain, the links of which engage the sprocket teeth of said wheel, a guide for the chain between said wheel and said basket, said guide entering between the flanges of said wheel and formed with a part overlying the hub of, said wheel and with a hub bearing portion, the opposite end of said guide formed with enlarged protected guide ways and bearing surfaces, adapted when the links of the chains enter said guide ways and engage said bearing surfaces to position the links for passage through said guide.

7. In a device of the character described, a chain guide having transversely disposed grooves extending longitudinally thereof, the horizontally disposed grooves terminating in flared openings, the vertically disposed grooves terminating in slotted openings and with the upper wall of the upper groove and with the lower wall. of the lower groove terminating in beveled ends.

8. In a device of the character described,

a chain guide having transversely disposed grooves extending longitudinally thereof, one end of said guide formed with a flange and with the horizontally disposed grooves formed with flared openin s terminating in said flange, said vertically disposed grooves terminating in slotted, openings and with the upper wall of the upper groove and with the lower wall of the lower groove terminating in beveled ends.

ALFRED W. KNUTSON, 

